Generally, the aforesaid fishing reel has been called a double bearing reel and is well-known. The clutch operating mechanism provides a clutch lever slidably supported to the first side frame carrying the handle and an operating segment exposing from the outer surface of the reel body is provided at the fore end of the clutch lever, so that the operating segment is pushed to disconnect the clutch mechanism to allow the spool to freely rotate for casting.
During casting, an angler grips with one hand, i.e., his not-whip-hand, a reel mounting portion at a fishing rod and a second side frame opposite to the first side frame carrying the handle, and rotates the handle with his whip hand to wind up a fishing line to bring a fishing rig at the end thereof near the tip of fishing rod. Then his whip hand is released from the handle and transferred to grip the rod therewith, thus performing the casting by swinging the rod.
Prior to swinging of the rod, the angler pushes the operating segment to disconnect the clutch mechanism and presses by his finger the outer periphery of the spool thereby stopping its rotation, because a fishing rig, unless the spool is stopped, allows the spool to rotate freely by the weight of the rig so that the rig near the tip of the fishing rod will fall down.
Since the conventional reel provides the operating segment for the clutch lever at the first side frame carrying the handle, the angler, when intending to operate the operating segment by the finger of his whip hand gripping the rod, has to forcibly bring the thumb toward the back of his hand for pushing the operating segment. Also, since the operating segment is provided away from the spool, a time difference occurs between the push of the operating segment and the stop of the spool carried by the same thumb, whereby the fishing rig shifts from the proper position with respect to the rod. As a result, the problem is created in that the casting is improper.